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(NEW YORK CITY) - It is no exaggeration to say that Dr. Frank Romano has gone to more effort than most human beings, in sharing an unwavering message of hope and peace for the future of the Holy Land.

Those in the New York City area genuinely interested in peace between Palestine and Israel should mark your calendars for a rare chance to meet Dr. Romano, one of the most important and experienced author/attorney/activists on this subject in the world today. It happens Monday, 14th January, at Bluestockings Bookstore, 172 Allen St. New York, NY beginning at 7:00 p.m. I strongly recommend it, particularly for those who are most concerned for this region's bitter problems.

Even when his interfaith peace marches meet resistance and are attacked, which happened again in 2012, the steps taken still make a difference.

It was a noble journey for knowledge that nearly cost him his life. Growing up in California and Oregon, Frank attended university in Paris, France, from where he sought to learn the teachings of Islam to complete his understanding of the three monotheistic faiths; Christianity, which he was raised with, Judaism, which he studied at university in Paris, France, and the more elusive Muslim religion.

Against the advise of friends he was visiting in Morocco, Frank fell into company with radicals from a madrasa, or Muslim religious school, who at first were kind and taught him many relevant details about their belief system, but then turned against him when he asked the wrong questions.

His situation became more difficult when he realized he was being held against his will in what amounted to a high walled fortress, and then Frank was falsely accused of being an Israeli spy! He finally escaped with his life. That is a very brief summary of an incredible book which I strongly recommend.

The knowledge and enthusiasm that Dr. Frank Romano brings to the table with his new book, Love and Terror in the Middle East, is something that people need to expose themselves to. Sadly, there are only a handful of individuals who go to so much effort to make a difference. This point can not be overstated. Frank made headlines in April with CNN, when he and his peaceful friends were directly attacked by Israeli forces.

Always non-violently, the actions of Frank Romano and those who work faithfully to support his efforts are steadfast, particularly when it comes to supporting the long list of Palestinian political prisoners who languish without help or assistance from their own government, the Palestinian Authority (PA). In protest to the PA, as Frank was attending a press conference, also in April 2012, with Mr. Fayyad, Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Frank refused to shake the PM's hand when provided the chance. It was over the PA's failure to recognize their countrymen in Israeli prisons sacrificing their lives in hunger strikes. This disrespect was something that didn't go over well and I am always amazed at Dr. Romano's ability to stand for justice and absolutely nothing else no matter what.

Below is the news release about the upcoming appearance of Dr. Frank Romano in New York City. Again, I strongly recommend both attending the event and ordering his books, your sense of what is possible will be enlightened.

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Monday, Jan. 14th, 7 pm, Bluestockings Bookstore, 172 Allen St. New York, NY
“LOVE AND TERROR in the MIDDLE EAST” dramatically captures the author’s efforts to promote understanding and cooperation in the region between Jews, Muslims and Christians. It details Romano’s arduous journeys between Israel and the West Bank, discussing issues and organizing activities among religious and national groups.

Traveling between these areas has been risky: he has been harassed/arrested by the Palestinian police, harassed and recently arrested by Israeli soldiers and attacked by Israeli settlers. A peace activist friend was recently murdered in the West Bank.

This 3rd EDITION includes a new chapter entitled “Return to Killing Fields.” It recounts the aftermath of the murder of Juliano Mer-Khamis, peace activist, in the Jenin Refugee Camp and the author’s recent return there to uncover the truth buried deep within the shrouds of his friend’s mysterious death.

Dr. Romano is a professor at the University of Paris and member of the California and French Bars.

Let’s make it a BETTER WORLD together. JOIN ME! Warm regards, Frank Romano

I can't help but think of the sacrifice Dr. Frank Romano has endured at the hands of the Israelis mostly, but also the Palestinian government, and as one of our friends he is not alone in suffering the hands-on injustice of Israel.

Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh, a Salem-News.com contributor for the past several years, is a distinguished professor who has something in common with Dr. Frank Romano, and our writer Ken O'Keefe, and the late Vittorio Arrigoni, in that he has been arrested and indignantly treated time and time again during non-violent protests.

Regardless of one's religion, there is no question that people are suffering and in need of much attention from all of us who care. Please visit Dr. Romano's special event in New York on Jan. 14 2012.

Dr. Frank Romano is the author of STORM OVER MOROCCO, autobiographical narrative about following spiritual path while living with extremist religious sect. You can purchase the book at:amazon.com Storm Over Morocco

Tim King has more than twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. Tim is Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. His background includes covering the war in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007, and reporting from the Iraq war in 2008. Tim is a former U.S. Marine who follows stories of Marines and Marine Veterans; he's covered British Royal Marines and in Iraq, Tim embedded with the same unit he served with in the 1980's.

Tim holds awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing from traditional mainstream news agencies like The Associated Press and Electronic Media Association; he also holds awards from the National Coalition of Motorcyclists, the Oregon Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs; and was presented with a 'Good Neighbor Award' for his reporting, by the The Red Cross.

Tim's years as a Human Rights reporter have taken on many dimensions; he has rallied for a long list of cultures and populations and continues to every day, with a strong and direct concentration on the 2009 Genocide of Tamil Hindus and Christians in Sri Lanka. As a result of his long list of reports exposing war crimes against Tamil people, Tim was invited to be the keynote speaker at the FeTNA (Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America) Conference in Baltimore, in July 2012. This is the largest annual gathering of North American Tamils; Tim addressed more than 3000 people and was presented with a traditional Sri Lanka ‘blessed garland’ and a shawl as per the tradition and custom of Tamil Nadu

In a personal capacity, Tim has written 2,026 articles as of March 2012 for Salem-News.com since the new format designed by Matt Lintz was launched in December, 2005. Serving readers with news from all over the globe, Tim's life is literally encircled by the endless news flow published by Salem-News.com, where more than 100 writers contribute stories from 23+ countries and regions.

Tim specializes in writing about political and military developments worldwide; and maintains that the label 'terrorist' is ill placed in many cases; specifically with the LTTE Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, where it was used as an excuse to slaughter people by the tens of thousands; and in Gaza, where a trapped population lives at the mercy of Israel's destructive military war crime grinder. At the center of all of this, Tim pays extremely close attention to the safety and welfare of journalists worldwide. You can write to Tim at this address: tim@salem-news.com. Visit Tim's Facebook page (facebook.com/TimKing.Reporter)

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AB December 28, 2012 5:28 am (Pacific time)

Word!

Prof. Taheri December 27, 2012 8:47 am (Pacific time)

Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim.

We must know the roots of the Occupation if we are to ever free Filastin from it.

And its roots, unfortunately, run deep.

Before 1948, Filastin was ruled by a series of empires. "Palestine" was the name given to southern Bilad al-Sham (Greater Syria) in the second century by the Romans, in an attempt to break the Jewish adherence to the land. This was a century after the Temple (Beit al-Maqdis) was destroyed and more than a million Jews massacred.

The Jews stopped fighting the Romans only after they had no more fighting men standing. Conservative Christian attitudes toward the Jews and Filastin can be epitomized by the words of Evangelist William Eugene Blackstone, who proclaimed in 1891 that “the Jews never gave up their title to Palestine… They never abandoned the land. They made no treaty, they did not even surrender. They simply succumbed, after the most desperate conflict, to the overwhelming power of the Romans.”

This is what we are up against.

The Jews persisted through the centuries under the various empires, after the Arab invasion of 635AD (which the Jews fought alongside the Byzantines), and after the Crusade massacres of the 11th Century, which decimated much of their population.

Few Filastinun know that Jewish customs, religion, prayers, poetry, holidays, and virtually every walk of life, documented for thousands of years—all revolve around Filastin and al-Quds. They pray for al-Quds in every prayer, after every meal, in every holiday, at every wedding, in every celebration. The whole Jewish religion is about Filastin and al-Quds. Western expressions such as “The Promised Land,” and “The Holy Land,” did not pop out of void. They have been part of Western knowledge and tradition dating back to the beginning of Christianity and earlier.

After the Crusades, the Jews lived peacefully with Arabs, often in the very same villages, as in Pki'in, in the Jalil, until the Zionist immigration of the 19th and 20th Centuries. Article 6 of the PLO Charter calls for the acceptance of all Jews present in Filastin prior to the Zionist immigration. These Jews were simply another ethnic group in a region composed of Sunnis, Shiites, Jews, Druz, Greek Orthodox, Catholics, Circassians, Samarians, and more. Some of these groups, like the Druz, Circassians, Samarians, and an increasing number of Christians, are actually loyal to the Zionist Entity.

Incidentally, genetic studies show that the Zionist immigrants are closely related to groups like the Samarians who have lived in Filastin for thousands of years—a fact that Zionists view as a moral stamp of approval on their occupation of Filastin.

Few Filastinun realize it, but it will take a lot to dislodge the Occupation from Filastin, and, as described in Jonathan Bloomfield’s award-winning book, “Palestine,” learning the enemy is an integral part of planning the struggle.